It’s Great Being a Cyborg

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We are living in new world of human cyborgs. Everyone is glued to their phones as if it’s one of their body parts. You may think technology has taken over humankind…but have you ever thought that technological advances make us more human?

In Amber Case’s TED Talk, “We are all cyborgs now”, presented in December 2010, she explores how technology is making us more human through our constant co-creation of each other and connection. The cyborg anthropologist explains how technology has become a beneficial mental modification of ourselves. The new creation of a second (digital) self, especially with adolescents, allows room for mental reflection, which helps to find who we are.
Before watching Case’s talk, I thought our social media obsessed world was disconnecting people from the real world and from peoples’ real self. The talk has made me rethink my idea of the effects on social media into believing that digital lives allow individuals to take mental reflection, which aids creation of self-identity.

 In the new digital age, most people portray themselves on multiple platforms allowing them to have a second life for everyone to see. Case elaborates how technology is a modification of humans.

She starts by explaining we create modifications of human body parts to extend ourselves. We have been creating physical extensions to go faster, hit things harder, etc., but since there is a certain limit on that, we have now created a mental extension: technology.
Growing up in a world with these advancements, I haven’t realized to the extent of this extension. I always think of the technological advancements our world has created, but never thought of technology being a way of being a tool to supplement self power.
Case continues to explain our mental modification is our second, digital self apart from our primary, in person self. The digital self gives a more instantaneous and ambient connection to people in primary life or anyone around the world.
In considering of social media being my secondary self emphasizes the benefits of extended connection to anyone in the world at anytime. With this in mind, reflecting on how some adolescents are on their phones constantly, motivates my search in finding ways to use this extension to our full potential and not allow some people to get lost in their second life.

 Peoples’ downtime has been filled with spending lots of time with technology. People think downtime spent on phones doesn’t allow others to reflect on themselves or life.

Case understands the obsession with adolescents and technology. It would be difficult to slow people down to self reflect when technology has encompassed the world. She suggests that the fast interactions on social media shouldn’t be slowed down, because people self reflect on their lives in order to portray themselves accurately online.
Since we have evolved into this culture, it would be hard to slow it down. Instead of looking at technology being addictive, we should see it as people becoming excited about the advanced ways to communicate. Technology doesn’t disconnect us from our lives because it emerges us into our second lives.
Case continues to explain that with no external output, it allows individuals reflect on their creation of self, long term, and on who they are. By thinking about how to portray second self, people have to reflect on who they are resulting in finding self identity.
I always thought about social media of taking away from individuals thinking about their identity, but never thought about the ways it could help. Now I consider social media to be an extension of one’s self. It can help people see who they are and how they want to be seen.

 My initial attention on the effects of social media causing depression, demotivation, and self-doubt clouded my mind into thinking the less usage, the better. We can’t stop social media in a social media world so it’s wrong to only focus on the bad. I am determined to find a way to use social media in a beneficial way, and it could help people to consider the big picture of what social media is.

Source: https://medium.com/@megantazelaar2018/its-great-being-a-cyborg-80d429ac496e

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